As the mercenary industry gathers in DC for their annual summit, we will gather in Farragut Square Park to say NO! to mercenaries profiting off of wars and the suffering of the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.
U.S. Corporations are making billions off of conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout Africa. On October 27, activists and supporters of human rights, peace and justice, sustainable development, and true human security will be speaking out about abuses by private military contractors in these regions, poets and musicians will help us make some noise, and we will shine the spotlight on the mercenaries' meeting in DC during a critical time for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the escalation of U.S. military involvement in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and other Africa nations.
As the mercenary industry gathers in DC for their annual summit, we will gather in Farragut Square Park to say NO! to mercenaries profiting off of wars and the suffering of the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.
U.S. Corporations are making billions off of conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout Africa. On October 27, activists and supporters of human rights, peace and justice, sustainable development, and true human security will be speaking out about abuses by private military contractors in these regions, poets and musicians will help us make some noise, and we will shine the spotlight on the mercenaries' meeting in DC during a critical time for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the escalation of U.S. military involvement in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and other Africa nations.
a panel discussion on the private military industry in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. The panel will be held at the True Reformer Building in Washington DC, (see CCR’s calendar for details) and will be streamed on a live webcast on www.ccrjustice.org starting at 6:30pm EST. Panelists Vince Warren , CCR Executive Director; Jeremy Scahill , Journalist and Author of Blackwater: Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army; Representative Jan Schakowsky , Congressional Representative from the 9th District of Illinois and Emira Woods , Co-Director of Foreign Policy in Focus will be discussing the impact of privatized conflict on human rights, current efforts to secure corporate accountability and redress for the victims of human rights abuses and ways that you can get involved.
"Where the Army recruits Mall Rats to kill and die for The Empire"
"All 7 of us who were arrested are out, after spending the night in Central Booking in Philly, charged with criminal conspiracy and failure to disperse. We did shut down the Center for several hours, but the battle us hardly over..."
The center, which is in the Franklin Mills Mall in Northeast Philadelphia and costs about $4 million a year to run, looks like a huge, high-tech retail store. It features interactive video exhibits, nearly 80 gaming stations, a central seating area with armchairs and couches, a replica command-and-control center, conference rooms, and helicopter and Humvee combat simulators.
Associated Press
click thumbnail images for hi-rez
Why is this flunkie grinning? Because he knows he can send this footage to my employer and attempt to get me fired from my job. That's how it is under fascism. Am I frightened? If you ain't scared, you ain't right. Are we giving in an inch? No fucking way.
I got a message from Rob Kall that Cheryl Biren and Debra Sweet were among those arrested protesting today at the Army Experience Center at a Philadelphia area shopping mall, and Biren for taking photographs. Recent news put out by the Army just prior to this long-planned protest was that the center may shut down and others not be built, supposedly because of the cost of them and the lack of need for more recruitment. Think about that for a moment. As if they didn't always know the cost, as if such a thing is more than pocket change for the U.S. military, and as if they have all the recruits they want. Make no mistake: the people winning this one are the people going to jail. If the Army Experience Center is not boosting recruitment, that is in large part because of the protests.
Update: Seven were arrested, six of whom were risking arrest: Debra Sweet, Elaine Brower, Sarah Wellington, Joan Plune, Beverly Rice, and a young man whose permission I haven't obtained to use his name. The seventh, Cheryl Biren, was covering the event as a journalist for OpEdNews. The police came away from those risking arrest, and picked Biren out of a crowd of onlookers to arrest her, possibly because she had a professional camera. She did not have a shirt or sign or anything associated with the activists. She made clear that she was a journalist. She was there with her 15-year-old daughter. Now she and the other five women are in the Roundhouse, central jail in Philadelphia.
The Army spreads a false story about why it is closing this center that does not credit the protests. The police preemptively arrest a journalist who might report on the protests. Tell me again about how someone hates us for our freedoms.
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BTW kids, this is what a war wound looks like in the real world:
A delegation of prominent leaders from Honduras, including a member of Congress, a former presidential candidate and human rights leader, in an open forum regarding the recent military coup that was carried out bu graduates of the School of the Americas in Honduras. The delegation has been in Washington since Monday meeting with the State Department, Congressional leaders, international institutions, and others regarding the political situation in their nation. We will also have the participation of Hondurans for Democracy Coalition in the Washington DC region explaining the type of actions people living in the United States should perform to protect democracy in Honduras.
For questions and to RSVP, please contact:
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Bios of the Honduran Delegation:
Marvin Ponce Sauceda is a representative in the Honduran National Congress from the Democratic Union Party. Elected to Congress in 2006, he is a rural development expert and former advisor to the Honduran small farmers' association, COCOCH. Mr. Ponce will share his perspectives regarding the proceedings in the Honduran Congress leading up to the coup.
Jari Dixon Herrera Hernández, a lawyer with the Honduran Attorney General's office, is the vice president of the Prosecutors' Association of Honduras. He is well known for his efforts to expose corruption within the Honduran justice system. He will present an analysis of the legal justifications regarding the events leading up to June 28th.
Dr. Juan Almendares Bonilla is a widely recognized environmentalist who was candidate for president for the Democratic Union party in the 2005 elections. He is director of the Madre Tierra environmental association. He will speak about violations of fundamental human rights, civil liberties and the constitution of Honduras, including violation of the freedom of the press.
ITEERING/thumb_whitehouseprotest-dot-org-DSCF4458.JPG" alt="Jeremy Scahill, Emira Woods, CODEPINK, protest AFRICOM, Oct27 2009" />
, Oct27 2009" />
